Level 3 or structural engineer

[vcfromhk]

Hi I'm looking to buy a house and confused if I should get a level 3 survey done or get a structural engineer.

We had to pull out of our earlier bid as the surveyors pointing out structure issues and asked us to get structural engineers hired. Based on this experience, I'm wondering if I should get a structural engineer first up for the new property that I have shortlisted now.

How does the level 3 building survey compare to a structural engineers work?

Why don't the surveyors carry out structural assessment as part of the job?

What's the best approach?

What is the age of the house and what sort of condition is it in? I would only get a structural engineer out of there were visible signs of movement like external cracks around windows or door frames or large cracks in the internal plaster. They (not sure who they are) say unless a crack is big enough to fit a pound coin in, it is probably ok.

It's a Victorian property but overall condition looks good. I think must be 100 years old. The previous owners refurbished the kitchen.

I would probably just get a valuation but I am not very risk averse. Go for a homebuyers survey and if anything looks worrying on that then you can get extra surveys done.

They are likely to say the the roof needs doing unless it has been done recently. Unless there are signs of leaking it will probably be fine for at least 5-10 years. Also they might find signs of damp. Not an urgent issue unless the floor is springy to walk on, which could mean that the joists are rotten. Damp is better dealt with slowly by trying different tactics until you find one that works.